The Dlanor
by ME1991
Summary: Set the summer before 6th yr.


Disclaimer: All of this belongs to the inspirational, brilliant J.K. Rowling. Except for the coming original characters that are mine.  
  
AN: Ok, before you start reading, I just want you to note that this is my first fanfiction story EVER and that I'm writing this as I go. So, yea....here you go!  
  
THE DLANOR  
  
Calm Before the Storm  
  
Ronald Weasley woke to a full view of the dark, foggy day waiting for him outside. Still in the middle of gaining consciousness, he felt unsure of exactly where he was. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up and looked around the room. Fancy bedpost, glaring portraits, and not a drop of cheerfulness: of course, 12 Grimauld Place. Looking out towards the window on his left again, he found the same gloomy weather, and then thunder.  
  
_Gee, isn't this promising?_ He thought sarcastically.  
  
Just as he was about to lay back down, a familiar shriek had him bolting out of bed.  
  
"Ronald Weasley!!! You get down here this instant! You're already behind your chores!" yelled Mrs. Weasley.  
  
Recovering from surprise, he had enough sense to reply, "Coming Mum!" Ron didn't even bother taking a shower , fully aware that he'd be in a desperate need for one once he was through with his chores. Thinking of all the possibilities had him grimacing. Throwing on some ripped pants and an old shirt, he stumbled out of his room and into...  
  
"Why, Gred, look who it is!"  
  
"Well, it's our dear Ickle Ronniekins, Forge."  
  
Ron groaned, and then composed himself to look at his brothers and find them grinning quite suspiciously. "Try _anything_ and I swear I'll hex those grins right off your face."  
  
"Like you could," George replied, chuckling, getting a nudge from Fred. Ron glared.  
  
"Little brother of mine, that hurts," Fred sighed dramatically, laying the back of his hand to his forehead, putting on a hurt expression.  
  
Ron couldn't help rolling his eyes and then straightening to his full height. Now looking down at both twins, he replied smugly, "I don't think either of you are in any place to be calling me little, Frederick," nodding at Fred with narrowed eyes and then turning towards his other brother, "George". Ron was slightly put out that George was the only one of his sibling whose first name was kept the same. His dismay was interrupted by the sudden smell of breakfast that had him pushing past his brothers and heading towards the stairs. But before he could take another step down towards the kitchen, the twins said something that made him freeze.  
  
"Harry," Fred repeated grimly. "Just...tomorrow and all––um–"  
  
"Just stay with him, eh. He'll be a tad moody, I can tell you that." Ron turned to see George managing a grin while Fred nodded. And with that they turned away.  
  
_Harry. How could I forget? Stupid, stupid, stupid! Ron was mentally slapping himself for even once forgetting his best mate. Fred and George had to remind me! Oh no, I could be mentally ill. Did they actually end a conversation being serious? Ron shook his head trying to keep his thoughts on track. Now Harry has to come back here and...remember Sirius. Harry's gone through enough, hasn't he? For Merlin's sake he's barely 16....damn Vol– You- Know-Who. If I get my hands on him, I'll-  
_  
Ron never got to continue his inner rampage because once again he was interrupted by, well, three guesses who.  
  
"Oh, and Ron," one of them said with a serious face while the other continued,  
  
"You might wanna try a shower when your girlfriend gets here. A bloke usually wants their bird close to them when they want a kiss, eh?" That was enough to set them off as they disappeared with a pop, leaving Ron glaring at their spots.  
  
_ Knew they couldn't last._  
  
As Ron stomped through the hallway, mumbling something about girlfriends and gits, he still couldn't help the blush spreading on his face and especially his ears. But as he passed the room Bill was staying in, he could hear another voice. As Ron pressed his ears on the door, he could hear clearly that Bill was talking to Charlie. _Through the fireplace, I bet.  
  
_ "...have to find out who it is,"  
  
"I know Charlie, but why would You-Know-Who go out of his way to find someone other than Harry?"  
  
"That's the other thing. Whatever prophecy those bloody Death Eaters got, whoever they're after must be really powerful or really important. They wouldn't just stray from getting a hold of Harry."  
  
"So we have to find what prophecy _and _whoever they're after?"  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"It could be anyone!" Ron could hear the frustration in his brother's voice.  
  
"I know. It could even be someone we know. That's why we need a team on this case as soon as possible."  
  
"I'll call a meeting tonight. I'll explain as much as I can."  
  
Before Ron decided to finally pull away, he couldn't help his frown deepen as he heard both his brothers sigh. It was just too much to process for Ron, that he could barely think anything. Barely.  
  
_Bill needs to remember Silencing Charms. What if it was a spy who heard them?  
_  
As he continued to drown in his thoughts, Ron's stomach made a decision for him. Finally reaching the kitchen, he found a seat next to Ginny.  
  
"G'morning," he tried to say it as softly as possible, so as not to have his mother notice, plus the fact the he was never a morning person and was in no mood for lectures at the moment. Luck was not with him.  
  
"Try good afternoon!" Mrs. Weasley said, annoyance all over her face when she turned away from some dishes to face him. "Look at Ginny, she's already finished all her chores for the day and I bet she could have done yours as well by now." She said this very pointedly while Ron took a sideways glance at Ginny, who was smirking into her pumpkin juice.  
  
"Well, then, why didn't _she_ do them?"  
  
"Don't be smart with me, Ronald!" she said, looking even more irritated.  
  
_ Sorry for actually thinking, Mum. I'll just go back to being stupid now._  
  
Ron took a deep breath and kept his mouth shut knowing that one wrong move could mean a chaos of chores. Mumbling an apology, he continued to stab at his cold pancakes. After a minute or so of the same thing, Ginny just couldn't take it.  
  
"Ron, try stabbing a piece, shove it_ into_ your mouth, chew, and swallow!" He was about to retort something smart, but he had something better in mind. _And easier._  
  
"Sorry Gin, just thinking about H - Harry," he said gloomily. Ginny immediately kept quiet.  
  
_ Well, that shut her up quick. Maybe it was just a little too low to have used Harry...but it was partially true though!_  
  
Ron was literally shaken out of his thoughts as Mrs. Weasley sprinted to her son and enveloped him in a choking hug. "Oh, Ron! My dear baby boy..." she wailed, stroking his hair and telling him that everything would be alright. Just as he was about to push his mother away, Ginny cleared her throat.  
  
"Yeah, um – I didn't mean – uh – it's just that-" Ginny was stammering and Ron started to feel some regret and guilt creeping onto him.  
  
"It's all right Gin, I don't want you wailing now. I'd rather appreciate it if I lost my hearing MUCH later in life." _Don't cry, don't cry. Smile, smile, smile. Just. Don't.Cry._ Ron was desperate to lighten the mood, the way things were going, he could probably be the cause to the whole Order going depressed.  
  
And with that, both ladies held a little smile. "Well then, Ron, why don't you finish up eating and then please go up and clean your room. Then go up to the attic and grab one of the extra cots." Mrs. Weasley was fully composed and in control again. "Oh, and you too Ginny. We don't want Hermione sleeping on the floor now, do we?" She took a look at both her children and then went back to work.  
  
While Ginny got up to get Hermione's cot, she didn't notice Ron completely still in his chair, eyes wide.  
  
_ Shit! Hermione. Hope she gets here before Harry does, I am not going through the whole, 'hi harry, so how's life been with Sirius dead' conversation alone. Actually, I think I'll just avoid that topic. She can – she – um...oh, I don't know! She's...she's Hermione. And – and she's nice – and uh –_  
  
"Ron, if you're done eating, get a move on! It's almost noon and you haven't done any work!" Ron shook his head to clear his thoughts and nodded quickly at his mother. So with that, Ron headed towards the direction of his room. Waiting till he disappeared from her sight, Mrs. Weasley sighed.  
  
"I don't know what I'm going to do with you," she whispered to no one specifically, but she was smiling nonetheless.  
  
"Torture me with chores the whole summer!" Ron hollered back unexpectedly.  
Mrs. Weasley gasped, then started laughing so loud that she could be heard from the second landing.  
  
After at least an hour of cleaning tasks from sweeping the floor to literally fighting with dust bunnies, Ron finally got his room, well his room in Grimauld Place anyway, cleaned.  
  
I have a rug? Ron shrugged. Looking around, it was not bad. Turning to go get the extra cot, he stepped on –  
  
"Bloody hell!" (AN: Like Ron could go a whole chapter w/o saying that!)  
  
After picking something up from the floor, he continued his route towards the attic. A moment later, he looked down to find in his hand...  
  
_Hey, it's Krum's arm. Hmph, serves him right going after......14 year old witches. What did she ever see in him? What does she see in him now? So what if he's rich, and popular, and is one of the world's most famous quidditch players? She should be with – with – somebody like...like m – Harry! At least he's not 18 or 20 or whatever!_  
  
Ron was too caught up in his head, that he didn't notice the red marks starting to show on his hands from twisting the figurine's arm so much. And he didn't notice the wall that he was about to –  
  
CRASH!  
  
Ron sat up from the floor, rubbing his head he grumbled an "ow". Feeling something poking his hand, he found Krum's arm still in place. "This is all your fault," he sneered, glaring down at the scraped figurine arm.  
  
_ I could have sworn there was a door there..._  
  
Without looking up, he chucked the arm towards the wall and while waiting for the sound of impact, instead he heard an annoyed grunt. Curious to see what, or more like who he hit, Ron's eyes met the irritated gaze of Mad Eye.  
  
_Ewww...his eye is doing that rolling thing again...._Ron shuddered as Mad Eye's special eye circled round and then focused back on him. Mumbling a quick hello, mixed with an apology, he scrambled up fast and headed for the attic.  
  
"Ronald," Mad Eye's voice boomed. _Oh no, please don't tell me he found my last pair of Extendable Ears._ But as Ron opened his mouth to explain, he was cut off. "You forgot something," Mad Eye said in an eerily soft voice, and Ron found Krum's tiny arm somewhat waving at him. Ron glared.  
  
"Um, thanks. I got to go get Harry's cot now so – yeah. Bye!"  
  
"Ronald..." Mad Eye said in a half growl, half croak. But before Ron could turn around, a simple "Accio Extendable Ears!" sent Ron bolting straight towards the attic stairs.  
  
"Weasley!!! If I find you with another pair of these I'll....."

Mad Eye's warning was drowned out as soon as Ron reached the haunting attic. Taking his time, he wandered around to find some broken furniture, slashed portraits, and....  
  
"SPIDERS!!!" Ron grabbed the cot and raced down away from the – "SPIDERS, SPIDERS, SPIders, Spiders, spiders..."  
  
Ron was panting heavily, but during the rush out, he thought he caught a shadow by one of the windows. Who in their right mind would go up there? And just as the thought passed him, he heard a creak above him. And another. And another.  
  
Then it stopped.  
  
But before he could think anything about it, he turned to find Ginny in complete hysterics.  
  
"Spiders, spiders, spiders...." She managed to gasp out mockingly.  
  
"Oh, shut up. _Genevra."_ That left him to turn and head towards his room to think of the days events. So as he lay on his bead, he went through a little review of the whole day.  
  
_Twins, Harry, Hermione, Mum, yelling, crying, chores, Krum, Mad Eye, attic, spiders, Ginny...  
  
_ And that was the end of an easy day.  
  
AN: Ok, personally, I thought this chapter was quite boring and I'm sure a number of you readers thought so too. But please, BARE WITH ME!!! Please review!


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